axon
The binary dispatches on its first argument.
axon # opens the TUI
axon <verb> [...] # a command — dev, publish, deploy, …
axon . -p "what changed in the commit?" # an agent reference — give it work
The last form is the fastest path to a model: a quoted string, no prompt file, no config.
Dispatch
| First argument | Mode |
|---|---|
| (none) | Opens the terminal UI |
| A terminal flag | Opens the terminal UI with that option |
| A known verb | Runs that command |
| Anything else | Treated as an agent reference |
Anything else flag-shaped is a mistake and is reported as one. A typo must not
open a full-screen UI over itself — axon --contnue says the flag does not
exist rather than quietly starting a fresh session.
Terminal flags
Options for the terminal itself, rather than commands. They take no arguments.
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
--continue | Open on the newest conversation instead of starting a fresh one. Falls through to a normal boot when there is nothing to continue |
Reference forms
| Shape | Example | Resolves to |
|---|---|---|
| Path | ., ./agents/zeno, ~/work/zeno | That directory |
| Package | @cody/zeno | The installed copy, else fetched from the registry |
| URL | http://localhost:3011 | A running agent, over the wire |
A bare word (zeno) is not a reference — it is indistinguishable from a mistyped verb, so
axon depoy reports an unknown command. Use ./zeno or @scope/zeno.
Options
Apply to the reference form. Verbs document their own.
| Flag | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
-p, --prompt | — | A literal instruction, used verbatim. Repeats compose |
-P | — | A prompt the agent declares, resolved and rendered |
-s, --script | — | One of the agent's own scripts |
-a, --attach | false | Open the terminal when the work finishes. Implied when there is no instruction |
--context | — | Extra context for the turn |
--job | — | Tag the run with the job it belongs to |
--json | false | One line of JSON on stdout and nothing else — { text, sessionId }, or { error } on failure |
--parent | — | The session this run is a child of. Nests it in the agent tree and ties its lifetime to the parent's |
Global
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
--version, -v | Print the version |
--help, -h, help | The man page |
--quiet, -q | No progress, even on a terminal |
See axon <agent> for the reference form in full.